The RBC Canadian Open takes center stage this week as the PGA Tour heads north of the border for the final event ahead of the year's third major championship.
With the U.S. Open fast approaching, this week represents a final opportunity for players to fine-tune their games before heading off to Oakmont for what will likely be the toughest test of the year.
The RBC Canadian Open welcomes a relatively strong field to a new locale in 2025, as the North Course at TPC Toronto at Osprey Valley, a par-70 that plays 7,389 yards, hosts one of the oldest events on the PGA Tour schedule for the first time.
After skipping last week's Memorial Tournament, Rory McIlroy will tee it up this week for the first time since last month's PGA Championship. McIlroy, already a two-time winner of this event, will make his fifth start in Canada's national championship and will be looking for a fifth top-10 finish, having added a T9 and T4 to his two victories the last two years.
This year's Masters champion will be joined by defending RBC Canadian Open champion Robert MacIntyre, Canada's own Nick Taylor, who memorably won this tourney two years ago with a 72-foot eagle putt in a playoff, Ludvig Åberg, Shane Lowry, Sam Burns, and many others who will look to make their own history in this prestigious event.
Let's take a look at a few who could be set to do just that at the 2025 RBC Canadian Open.
2025 RBC Canadian Open picks and predictions
Top 20 pick for the RBC Canadian Open: Taylor Pendrith (+125)
Taylor Pendrith finished in a tie for 21st at last year's tourney and comes into this year's Canadian Open on the back of two straight solid starts with a T12 at last week's Memorial Tournament and a tie for fifth at the PGA Championship last month.
The Canadian's prowess off the tee should leave him in good stead at a venue like TPC Toronto, which he actually played twice in competition during his PGA Tour Canada days, taking solo second here at the 2019 Osprey Valley Open.
Sleeper pick to win the RBC Canadian Open: Matti Schmid (+7500)
A runner-up to Ben Griffin at the Charles Schwab Challenge, Matti Schmid comes into the week with three top-10 finishes in his last five starts on the PGA Tour.
Schmid has struggled in his limited starts at the RBC Canadian Open so far in his career, missing the cut in each of his two appearances, but TPC Toronto should be a much better fit for the German, who crushes it off the tee and is elite with his irons, ranking 15th and 36th, respectively, on the PGA Tour this season.
Pick to win the RBC Canadian Open: Sam Burns (+3000)
A five-time winner on the PGA Tour, Sam Burns finished T10 at last year's RBC Canadian Open and T4 in this event in 2022. Burns comes into this year's edition having finished 19th or better in four of his last five starts.
The 28-year-old leads the field in putting over his last 20 rounds, per Data Golf, and has now gained strokes off the tee in every start since the Valero Texas Open in April.
Burns gained strokes across the board en route to a T12 finish at the Memorial, which is undoubtedly a good sign as he looks for his first victory since the 2023 WGC-Match Play.
Pick to win the RBC Canadian Open: Ludvig Åberg (+1400)
It's been a bit of a strange season for Ludvig Åberg, who, after winning The Genesis Invitational in February, went on to miss three cuts in his next eight starts. During that run, the Swede's only other top-10 finish came at The Masters in April.
Åberg now returns to the event where he made his first professional start back in 2023, tying for 25th.
While his form has been inconsistent throughout this season, there were some positive signs for the 25-year-old during the final round of the Memorial, where he closed with a solid 66 en route to a T16 finish.
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